Irish Farmers Association protests outside of Kildare County Council's headquarters

Members of the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) were protesting outside of Kildare County Council's (KCC) headquarters earlier today.

The Kildare and West-Wicklow branch of the IFA protested outside Áras Chill Dara as part of their #EnoughIsEnough campaign.

Around 30 farmers were present outside KCC's headquarters from 1.30pm to 3pm, in advance of today's full county council meeting.

A number of local councillors were present at the time of the protest today.

When asked about his views on the matter, Sinn Féin Cllr Noel Connolly told the Leinster Leader that his party 'fully supports' the farmers' campaign.

He said: "I met with the farmers today and have met them a number of times in the past few months.

"It annoys me that government councillors say they support farmers, but don't lift the phone to their own Ministers to deliver the changes needed."

"Some of them are easy fixes, like the dog warden and the planning issues, and could easily be fixed if their Ministers loosened the purse strings," Cllr Connolly concluded.

Fianna Fáil Cllr Rob Power also told the Leinster Leader: "I was pleased to meet with farmers and IFA representatives at KCC's offices, but sorry that they needed to be there at all.

"Farmers continue to face challenges at both ends of the supply chain with input prices continuing to rise and pressure for margins at the other end, so it's a real shame that instead of feeling supported by their local council they feel burdened by bureaucracy and a system that doesn't understand or respond to their needs."

Cllr Power continued: "The IFA have put forward some well structured arguments for how county councils around the country can better support them on issues like farm inspections, hedgerow management, dog control and critically more clarity and support in the planning process where farmers feel enormous frustration.

"Fianna Fáil will raise these issues in KCC, and I hope that other councils will do the same in responding to the calls from farmers," he concluded.

Social Democrats Cllr Chris Pender was asked about his views on the IFA's campaign by the Leinster Leader, but declined to comment.

THE IFA'S GOALS

Explaining its objectives as part of the #EnoughIsEnough campaign, the IFA said in a statement addressed to Kildare County Councillors: "Over the past number of weeks, farmers across mainland Europe have been voicing their anger and frustration at the ever-increasing administrative burden being placed on farmers which have had a major impact on farm family incomes.

"These frustrations have broadened into anger with European and National lawmakers over the massive increase in regulations relating to Agriculture.

"The EU, the Irish Government and local Government are devising policies far from the farm gate with little or no consideration of the direct impact on farmers."

• According to the IFA: "There are also a number of issues that are impacting farmers at a local government level. These include:
• Delays in the planning process which is hindering on-farm investment.
  The implementation of the Zoned Residential Land Tax – a completely unfair tax which places a penal charge on farmers with land on the outskirts of towns and villages. All genuinely farmed land must be exempted from this tax.
• County councils will be doing an increasing number of inspections on farms. There needs to be a clear protocol in place as regard how these inspections are conducted.  
• There are huge issues with ash trees suffering from ash dieback on rural roads. Each county council needs to come with a strategy and funding to remove these trees. 
• A lack of dog wardens in many counties to deal with dog attacks on sheep flocks.
• The implementation of commercial rates by some county councils of farm buildings despite these being specifically exempt (mainly farm buildings in the tillage and horticulture sector).
• The proposed increase in water charges will place an unfair burden on farmers, in particular those with fragmented holdings."

The group further said: "We are asking your county council to do your utmost to highlight the issues raised and seek a fundamental reset of how farm policy is devised and implemented both at the EU and in Ireland."

• "We also ask that your county council approve the following resolution:
  Kildare County Council resolves to write to the President of the EU Commission, the Taoiseach and the Minister for Agriculture advising them that the Council has passed the following resolution.
• Kildare County Council supports the IFA's 'Enough is Enough' campaign.  
• The council recognises the significant contribution that farming, and the Agri-sector makes to the Irish and local economy.
• The council acknowledges the income challenge on Irish farmers arising from the significant increases in the cost of doing business, regulatory costs and cuts in Basic Income support for farmers. 
• The council calls on the Government to introduce no further regulations on farmers or any measures that may increase costs on farms without full negotiation and agreement with the IFA.
• The council calls on the European Union and the Irish Government to provide additional stand-alone funding, separate to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), to support farmers to undertake climate and biodiversity measures."